Wednesday, July 8, 2009

MASSACHUSETTS TAKING DOMA TO FEDERAL COURT

Massachusetts, the first state to legalize gay marriage, sued the U.S. government Wednesday over a federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

The federal Defense of Marriage Act interferes with the right of Massachusetts to define and regulate marriage as it sees fit, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said. The 1996 law denies federal recognition of gay marriage and gives states the right to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

Massachusetts is the first state to challenge the federal law....

"In enacting DOMA, Congress overstepped its authority, undermined states' efforts to recognize marriages between same-sex couples, and codified an animus towards gay and lesbian people," the lawsuit states.


[For the full article, see here.]

This federal suit might well decide how long DOMA remains in effect; by extension, determine whether or not federal recognition of same-sex marriage becomes a reality within the very foreseeable future.
Share |

No comments: